The Audacity of Resilience of Toyin Ogundipe at 60

Being a review of the biography of the sitting Vice Chancellor of the University of Lagos, Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe. The festschrift marks the golden jubilee anniversary of Ogundipe. Titled Oluwatoyin Temitope Ogundipe @60, the book was edited by academicians namely: Chukwu, Lucian Obinna, Falaiye, Muyiwa; Ogwezzy-Ndisika, Abigail Onuminya, and Olabisi Temitope. Published in 2021 by the Unilag Press & Bookshop Ltd, it has five parts, 16 chapters and 340 pages. This festschrift celebrates the life and achievements of the 12th vice chancellor of Unilag Professor Oluwatoyin Ogundipe, a professor of Botany. Part1: The Cradle was anchored by Prof Abigail Ogwezzy-Ndisika of the Department of Mass Communication, Unilag. Other contributors therein are Dr Tope Onuminya of the Department of Botany, Unilag; Dr Aghughu Okiemhen of the Nigerian Rubber Research Institute, Benin City. The Unilag Deputy Vice Chancellor, Management Services Prof L.O.Chukwu chronicled the career trajectory of the subject. In chapter 4, covering the Work Life Equilibrium of the protagonist Chukwu gives a raving rendering of a workaholic. “Despite the fact he is a Christian and an ordained Pastor in RCCG, Prof Ogundipe demonstrates unique spirituality that cuts across religious chasm and he epitomizes religious tolerance; as he is known to fraternize with Muslims and this is a function of his background.” On his lifestyle generally, his doctoral supervisor, Dr Adebayo Olatunji and the co-supervisor Prof Omotoye Olorode greatly influenced him. Then, Ogundipe thought of becoming a socialist like Olorode. Free Nelson Mandela was their campaign as socialists. But after Mandela was freed, Ogundipe asked himself: “when I am I going to free myself”? That was how he opted out from being a socialist, thouh he remains a socialite.` Part 2 has just two chapters. It explores Ogundipe’s prowess as a quintessential researcher. Chapter 5: Musings from the Research Group written by Dr Tope Onuminya of Unilag Department of Molecular Systematics in the Department of Botany. The writer avers that research begins by first asking the right questions and then choosing an appropriate method to investigate a problem. Subsequenty, findings are collated and analyzed so as to draw appropriate conclusions. Having learned the rudiments of scientific research through his undergraduate project, Ogundipe went on to serve his motherland and gave back to the society by serving as Senior Science Teacher under the Rivers State Teaching Service Commission, between 1984 and 1985. The experience instilled in him the desire to make academics his career. Thereafter, Oluwatoyin was admitted to read for a masters in Botany at Obafemi Awolowo University, Ife where he investigated the vegetative anatomy of the Nigerian species of Echnochloa P. Beauv—a common grass in Nigeria. His success at the masters level spurred him to pursue a doctorate in the same subject and at the same school between 1986 and 1990. For Plants in the service of Man in chapter 6, the Director, Institute of African and Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos, Prof Muyiwa Falaiye chronicled how the protagonist showed his love for plants from his early life to the extent that he wasn’t surprised he would devote his entire academic career to the study of plants, becoming a professor and eventually the vice chancellor of Unilag. In Part 3, titled University leadership and administration, a coterie of professors regaled us of the acumen and prowess by which Ogundipe engaged the Unilag community as leader and vice chancellor. The part encompassed chapters 7 to 13. It hosted among contributors some of the most distinguished academics in Nigeria. It was anchored by the former Unilag Deputy Vice Chancellor, management services, Prof Folasade Ogunsola; the sitting deputy vice chancellor, management services, Prof Obinna Chukwu; Prof Ogwezzy-Nisika; the former Vice Chancellor of the University of Ibadan Prof Abel Olayinka; the Unilag Director of Research and Innovation, Prof Bola Oboh; the Vice Chancellor, National University of Lesotho, Prof Sola Fajana. Indeed, this part parades more distinguished academics than any other part of the book. Professor Olayinka’s essay is the toast of this festschrift. He considers the role of the vice chancellor as the academic and administrative head of a university. Olayinka then showed us his experience as vice chancellor of the University of Ibadan. He showed us the qualifications of an aspiring candidate for the post of vice chancellor. According to the erstwhile university chancellor whose tenure was more turbulent than that of Ogundipe, a vice chancellor must possess a good university education. He/she must be a distinguished scholar with the rank of professor. He must have served with a minimum of five to ten years as a leader in an established institution. “He must be a person of proven integrity; be not more than 65 years old as at the date of possible assumption of duty.” There’s where I disagree with the rules. Researchers from Harvard University have established that the most productive decade of humans is between the ages of 60 and 70 while the second most productive period of humans is between 70 and 80 years of age. Moreover, what Nigerian universities need most are centres to collate worldwide research, not research itself because Nigerians neither have the finance nor the ingenuity to conduct worthwhile research in the modern world. Israel with a population of 9.4 million people boasts of 14 Nobel laureates, while Nigeria with 200 million people has only one Nobel prize winner, we must acknowledge creativity isn’t our forte. Part 4 extols the virtues of Ogundipe as a God fearing padre. In her contribution on the ecclesiastical thoughts of Ogundipe, the director, Institute of Continuing Education, University of Lagos, Prof Mopelola Olusakin gave glowing tribute of Ogundipe as a detribalized and multi-religious academic. In a preliterate Nigeria being religious could be commendable. Otherwise it isn’t expected of an academic to be religious. This is a contentious area of panegyric of a university chancellor. On the whole this festschrift is a must read for anyone aspiring to be a vice chancellor. It is also noteworthy that of the 16 research universities in Africa only three are in Nigeria.